12 Hours
by fantasyfestus
Summary: Two strangers find themselves stuck in a Chicago airport, and the only way to get to New York in time for their respective appointments is to venture on a 12 hour drive. AU Percabeth.


_A/N: What better time to post a Christmassy fic than a month after Christmas?_

* * *

The airport was filled with people traveling for the holidays, some running to catch flights, some strolling around to find food. Everyone was going in a different direction and getting through the crowd in a timely manner required mercilessly pushing one's way through the crowd, tripping the elderly and trampling the children.

Percy Jackson was not willing to do that. He carefully wove his way through the crowd, maneuvering his bag to avoid whacking random travelers. When he finally broke through the crowd and emerged in a relatively empty stretch of airport corridor, he started to run.

He was unfortunately not fast enough. According to the lady at the counter, the flight had left, and all other flights to New York were booked. Percy asked if she was sure. She said she was.

He felt pretty miserable as he turned away from the counter and trudged over to the seating area to catch his breath. He noticed a woman sitting on one of the seats, her head in her hands. He could recognize those blonde curls anywhere. She was the reason he had missed his flight, and he was not at all happy about it.

"So you missed it too?" he asked. It somehow made him feel better to know that the woman who put him in this position was also suffering. It seemed mean.

She looked up and glared at him with piercing gray eyes. "It's your fault," she snapped.

Percy raised his eyebrows. "My fault?"

"If you hadn't started a useless argument back in the check-in line I would have been on time."

"A useless argument? I was in front of you and you literally pushed past me and went ahead!"

"You were taking too long to get your stuff together and I was running late. There was no need to make a big deal about it."

"I was running late too and you cut me in line because I took five extra seconds. Did you really think you wouldn't get called out for that?" Percy questioned.

She scowled at him. "Whatever. The point is now we've both missed our flight because of you, and there's no chance of getting another one this time of year."

"Because of _you_ ," Percy corrected. She shot him a dangerous look and stood up. He thought she was going to punch him but instead she picked up her bag and turned to leave. "Where are you going?"

"To get a rental car. I'm getting to New York one way or another," she said before stalking off.

Percy sat down, leaning back and considering what his next step would be. He had to get to New York. He wanted to spend the holidays with his family, in their cozy apartment with a tiny Christmas tree decorated with blue ornaments and the constant smell of baking coming from the kitchen. His heart ached for it.

But he was stuck in Chicago. He figured that without any flights, renting a car and driving to New York would be the best option. It would be a twelve hour drive which wasn't awful.

He picked up his stuff, asked the lady at the counter for directions and headed towards the rental car place.

The blonde woman was already there. She seemed to be having an argument with the bored looking man behind the counter. A few tired looking travelers were standing behind her, clearly unhappy with how long she was taking. Percy took his place in line and strained to hear.

"-just want to keep it on hold until I can arrange the extra money," she was saying. Percy glanced at the rates on the board and felt any remaining hope leave him. He didn't have enough money with him either.

"Can't do that," the worker said, clearly annoyed, "there's not many cars left and a lot of customers who are looking to rent."

Percy acted on impulse, which was probably a stupid move. He maneuvered around the line and went to stand next to the blonde at the counter.

"There you are. I told you to wait until I could arrange the money," he said, trying to sound casual. He realized that the only way this would work was if she caught on to what he was doing.

Fortunately, she did. "They were running out of cars, I was trying to secure one," she answered easily. The worker looked back and forth between her and Percy suspiciously. "You came just in time."

They each paid half the cost of the car and received keys. Percy took them before the blonde – he found out her name was Annabeth - could and she glared at him. Once they were away she grudgingly muttered a thanks.

"Yeah well I didn't have enough money with me either," he commented as they walked towards the garage. "Wasn't expecting these extra expenses. And now we can take turns driving. Twelve hours straight would suck."

Fifteen minutes later Percy was driving them out of the airport while Annabeth put in the directions on her phone.

* * *

 _Hour 1_

* * *

After about ten minutes of driving in silence, Percy decided to try having a conversation. If they were going to go on a twelve hour road trip together, it made sense to get to know some basic information.

"So, do you live in New York?" he asked hesitantly.

"No."

"Visiting family in New York?"

"No."

"Then why are you going to New York?"

"I have job interviews scheduled."

"Job interviews?" Percy asked incredulously. "Seriously? Over the holidays?"

"It's easier to get appointments. I've had to fit a lot in the three days I'm in the city." Her voice had a warning tone, telling him not to ask too many questions.

He completely ignored this. "Don't you want to spend the time with family or friends instead of some boring job interview?"

"I don't see how that's any of your business," she said coldly. They fell into silence again. This time she broke it. "So I'm guessing you live in New York?"

"Yeah," he hesitated before adding, "I'm actually kinda surprised you don't. You have the attitude of a stereotypical New Yorker."

"What does that mean?"

"I mean, like, you have the same temperament, you know?"

"Are you suggesting that I'm rude?" she said, her tone accusatory.

"What? No, you just have that I-take-what-I-want-and-I-take-it-now kinda vibe."

"Is this by any chance referring to the incident back at the airport?" Percy grinned in response. "Okay, I may have been a little out of line," she conceded.

"Yeah, you jumped right out of the line and cut in front of me." She glared at him. "Sorry, that was bad."

"Very."

Percy asked his next question with caution, trying to avoid setting her off. "So… where _do_ you live, if it's not New York?"

"San Francisco.

"Woah, so you're literally going to the other side of the country for these interviews." She nodded and Percy leaned back in his seat, thinking. "Wait, so… what do you do anyway?"

"What?"

"I mean, what kind of job has you coming all the way to New York?"

"I'm an architect," she answered.

"But why New York? I'm sure they have buildings in California?"

"California buildings aren't as iconic as New York ones," she said, her voice suddenly toneless.

Percy sensed that there was more to it than that, but he didn't push the subject.

* * *

 _Hour 2_

* * *

"So, how are we going to split up the driving?" Percy asked, trying to sound casual and not completely exhausted. He was starting to have trouble keeping his eyes open. The road in front of him was uneventful and boring, and he didn't want to look at it any longer.

"We each take turns driving two hours," Annabeth said, glancing up from her knitting.

It had taken all of Percy's willpower to not make a comment regarding old ladies when she pulled out needles and a ball of yarn.

"When is two hours up?"

"Fifteen minutes."

"So," Percy stretched the word, "what are you knitting?"

"A sweater."

"What kind of sweater?"

"The kind you wear."

"Oh… those are my favorite."

"They do seem to be the most popular."

"Who is it for?"

"Me."

"Oh. Do you like sweaters?"

"Yes."

"That's good." He tried to think of a way to keep the conversation going. "So if you had to choose between-"

"Percy, what are you doing?"

"Getting to know you."

"Through sweaters?"

"Why not?"

Annabeth groaned. "You know, you're _really_ annoying."

* * *

 _Hour 3_

* * *

Percy hadn't eaten all day, and he was starving.

So when he noticed a sign by the side of the road indicating that a McDonald's was ahead, he couldn't stop himself from wistfully moaning, "Cheeseburgers."

He was certainly not expecting Annabeth to add, "French fries."

"Okay, I know we're in a rush to get to New York, but-"

"Food," Annabeth agreed, switching lanes in time to take the exit.

The place was empty, and there was no one behind the counter. Percy groaned. He just wanted food.

"Hey, look," Annabeth said, waving a sheet of paper.

Percy blinked, trying to read it. "I can't-"

"It says they've gone out and the store is currently closed, so we should leave."

"Well shouldn't they have locked the door?" Percy asked, his eyes wandering to the cash register. "It would be so easy to steal."

"Does this mean we have to leave?" Annabeth mumbled, gazing at the pictures on the menu.

"Yeah, we probably should," he said reluctantly.

"But. But food."

"I know, but there isn't really anything we can do."

"Couldn't we just go back to the kitchen area, grab some burgers and fries and leave?"

"Um that sounds illegal?"

"We would leave money," Annabeth continued, "so it isn't really stealing. And it is their fault for leaving the store unattended like this. They're lucky we're even bothering to pay."

"What if they have cameras or something? They could report us."

"But that would mean admitting that they left the place unattended during their shift. They wouldn't do that."

Percy could feel the desire for a cheeseburger beginning to overpower his morals. "I still don't think this is a good idea."

"Aren't you hungry? Can't you just imagine the food stacked up in the back? All you have to do is grab it, and it's yours," her voice had turned oddly seductive.

It was enough for Percy. "Fine, we'll take food."

They made their way behind the counter and wandered into the kitchen. The sanitation was highly questionable, but Percy was too hungry to actually care. He found a stack of burgers and grabbed some, and a moment later Annabeth joined him with a bag stuffed with fries. She started to leave, but Percy grabbed her arm to stop her.

"What about shakes?" he whispered.

"What about them?" she hissed.

"We need them."

"Fine, get them. And stop whispering."

Percy handed her the burgers and wandered towards what looked like the shake machine.

"Hey what flavor do you want?" he called, squinting at the labels.

"Vanilla."

He grabbed a cup and held it under what he assumed to be the correct nozzle, pulling down on the lever. Thick white liquid started to pour into the cup. When it was filled, he pushed the lever back into place. He got another cup for his own shake and held it under the chocolate nozzle.

It was going great until the lever got stuck and he wasn't able to turn the machine off. He pulled his cup out of the way and tried with two hands. He still couldn't move it.

"Um, Annabeth, there's a little problem here."

"What?" She walked over and her eyes widened when she saw the pool of chocolate shake on the floor. "Just… just leave it. It'll run out eventually. Let's go."

"That seems wrong," he protested.

"You don't have to be a hero, Percy. Just grab the shakes and let's go."

He listened and followed her, but made sure to leave an extra five dollars on the counter.

* * *

 _Hour 4_

* * *

"Can we turn that off?"

"What?" Percy asked, glancing at his travel companion. They were stuck in awful traffic and hadn't moved for about five hours, if his calculations were correct, which they were usually not.

"The music, what else?" she answered.

"Why?"

"Because it's annoying."

Percy gasped in horror. " _What_?"

"What?"

"How can you _possibly_ not _love_ this band?"

"I mean they aren't that good."

He gasped again. "Say that again. I dare you." She opened her mouth but Percy spoke before she could repeat herself. "If you don't want to listen to this, what _do_ you want to listen to?"

"The news?" she said, reaching for the controls. She fiddled with them until Percy's favorite band was replaced by the monotonous drone of the woman announcing the news.

"This is gross," Percy whined. "Do you not listen to music?"

"I listen to music, just not the stuff they play on the radio," Annabeth replied defensively. "I prefer older songs."

"And I'm sure you enjoy listening to classical music as well," Percy laughed.

"Well, yeah," Annabeth said, turning her piercing grey eyes on him for a second before refocusing on the road. He realized that he was staring at her. He had noticed that she was pretty earlier, but it was like he was suddenly being hit by how beautiful she was.

He looked away and tried to remember the conversation. "So you knit, listen to classical music, and pay attention to the news?"

"Do you have a problem with that?"

"No ma'am."

* * *

 _Hour 5_

* * *

Percy woke up when the car braked abruptly followed by the blaring of their horn and a string of curses from his travel companion.

He looked around frantically, trying to figure out if they had crashed or not. When he determined they had not and were currently driving safely down the road, he glanced at the clock and noticed that it was about half an hour past the time he was supposed to start driving.

"Ah man, I'm so sorry. You should've woken me up," he said, sitting up straight and stretching as much as the confined space of the car would allow. "But, to be fair, it's because you put on the news."

She took her eyes off the road for a moment to glare at him and the car swerved. "It's fine. I'll drive three hours now, and then I'll have one hour less to do at the end. It's not a big deal."

Percy still felt guilty as he readjusted his position on the seat. He caught himself gazing at Annabeth's hair. She had very nice hair. He really wanted to play with her hair. He blinked and tried to turn his thoughts back to something normal. "Do you know how long I was asleep?"

"About an hour," she answered. She smirked and added, "You drool in your sleep."

* * *

 _Hour 6_

* * *

The gas station they pulled up to was a significantly shady looking one.

"You can use the bathroom first," Percy said opening his door and climbing out. Annabeth nodded and left, and he busied himself with filling the car with gas.

She returned just as Percy was replacing the nozzle and finishing the transaction. He noticed that the knuckles on her right hand were split, and he was sure they hadn't been before.

"What happened?" he asked, indicating her hand.

She shook her head. "Nothing. Go."

He looked at her suspiciously but obeyed. As soon as he walked through the door, he noticed a ratty looking man clutching his nose. His face was covered in a mixture of tears and blood. Annabeth's split knuckles suddenly made sense. Percy felt a wave of admiration crash over him. He walked by without comment.

On his way back from the bathroom, he bought some snacks and a roll of gauze. The old wiry man behind the counter was both grinning and glaring at the bleeding man. He leaned over and asked in a low voice, "Was that girl who just came in with you?" Percy nodded, and the man handed him the receipt. "No charge for the gauze. You're very lucky to have a girlfriend like that."

Percy felt his cheeks heat up. "I, uh… she's not my girlfriend," he said, stumbling over his words. The man shrugged, and Percy gathered his things feeling flustered.

He made a point of _accidentally_ stepping on the bleeding guy's foot on his way out. The guy wailed and cursed.

He handed Annabeth the gauze as he slid into the driver's seat. "Nice punch."

She smiled. "Thank you."

* * *

 _Hour 7_

* * *

Percy was once again having trouble staying awake, and Annabeth was noticing.

"Hey, if you want we can switch now. You look tired, and I really don't mind," she said. He could feel her eyes on him as he shook his head.

"No, I'm fine. We're doing this equally."

"Percy, you look like you're about to fall asleep. It's not safe." He noticed that she had a very nice voice.

"I'm fine," he insisted stubbornly. "It's just boring. Could you, like, talk to me or something?"

"Okay, um, so what do you do in New York anyway?"

"I run my mom's bakery," he answered sheepishly. He felt a little embarrassed. This girl was an architect trying to design a building for the New York skyline, and he was a baker living with his mom. It seemed pretty pathetic in comparison.

"That's cute," Annabeth said, surprising him. "Is that what you've always done?"

"Not really, I was trying to become a marine biologist earlier," Percy admitted.

"What happened?"

He shrugged. "My mom's dream has always been to write a book, but running the bakery didn't leave her much time. My mom sacrificed a lot for me. For a long time it was just the two of us, and helping her run the shop was like my way of giving back to her, giving her a chance to fulfill her own dreams."

"That's really sweet, Percy."

He glanced at her and was startled by the admiration in her eyes. He suddenly felt the urge to tell her the not-so-sweet part of the story, the selfish and childish part.

"That wasn't the only reason. College wasn't really working out great for me. As much as I love marine biology, I'm not good at school. It was miserable and I was literally failing. So the bakery was my way out."

"I guess it isn't for everyone."

"Yeah."

"It sounds like you really love your mom," Annabeth said, her voice almost wistful.

"Oh yeah, she's the best," he stopped, wondering if he really wanted to gush about his mother to this person he barely knew. He decided that he did. "She's had it really hard…" he began, launching into a retelling of her life.

"She sounds amazing," Annabeth said once he had finished.

"She is," Percy agreed, grinning. "So what's your family like?"

She looked as though she was thinking about how to answer the question, and she looked like that for a long time, but never ended up answering.

Percy didn't push it.

* * *

 _Hour 8_

* * *

"Why do people actually get real trees for Christmas?"

Percy glanced up and noticed the giant tree tied to the top of a car in front of them. "Christmas spirit," he shrugged.

"But those seem like such a hassle. Buying a new one every year, hauling it home while it sheds all over the road, and it probably sheds in the house too-"

"-but it's a great natural air freshener-"

"and then you have to dispose of it. Why go through all the trouble when you can get a nice fake one."

"I wouldn't know, you don't see a lot of real ones in New York," Percy pointed out. "But, I guess because of tradition, and having a real one is a lot more festive, and-"

"And _look_ at those ridiculous reindeer horns they've stuck on their car," Annabeth interrupted, her glare having shifted to another offensive car.

"Wow, you're a real Grinch."

"What does that even mean?" she sounded exasperated.

"Wait, seriously?" Percy asked, unable to fathom that someone could possibly not know of the Grinch.

"What?"

"You haven't heard of the Grinch?"

"I have heard of it, a lot, but I don't know what it means."

"It means… it's a story, Dr. Seuss. The Grinch hates Christmas so he tries to steal it."

"Steal it? How do you steal Christmas?"

"You… he basically ruins it, stealing decorations and presents and stuff." He saw that she looked genuinely bewildered. "You really haven't heard this?"

She shook her head.

"I guess it makes sense, if your family doesn't celebrate."

She was quiet for a moment, before sighing and saying, "It's not that my family doesn't celebrate, it's just… I'm not really a part of it."

Percy blinked. This was the first time she was sharing information about her family, which she seemed to be very secretive about. "Why?"

"I…" she trailed off and looked hesitant. "I don't really fit in with them. I never have. My step-mom hates me, and my dad is distant. It's worse during the holidays, when they're all happy and together and then there's me, not a part of any of it."

"And that's why you scheduled interviews over the holidays, on the other side of the country," Percy said slowly.

He could feel his heart breaking for her. He had experienced his own awful step-parent, but he had at least always had his mom for support and love. Annabeth didn't even have that. He couldn't imagine living with a family that wasn't really yours.

"Is that why you're moving to New York?"

She nodded, and her expression told him that she didn't want further discussion.

* * *

 _Hour 9_

* * *

"Turn here, exit 34," Percy said, squinting at the glowing map on his phone screen. They had turned the volume down a while ago when Annabeth complained of a headache.

The car jerked to the side as she switched lanes to make the exit. "If you could tell me a little more in advance, that would be great," she grumbled.

"Sorry, I-" he faltered. The phone displayed a loading sign and the word _recalculating_. He panicked and looked back at the earlier directions, feeling his heart drop. "Oh no."

"What is it, what happened," Annabeth demanded, and he felt the car swerve as she took her eyes off the road to look at him.

"I, uh… it was exit 43, not 34."

She groaned. "Seriously?"

"I'm so sorry, it's my dyslexia, I got the numbers mixed up."

"It's fine," her tone had softened, "just, turn the volume back up."

"But your headache?"

"It's okay, it's better now anyway. And it's not fair to expect you to read those tiny words, especially if you're dyslexic."

"Hey, listen, I don't need you to treat me-"

"I know, I'm dyslexic too."

Percy wasn't sure how to respond, so he didn't. He fiddled with the phone and turned the volume back up.

The wrong turn ended up costing them ten minutes, which wasn't really that bad, but Percy still felt guilty.

Annabeth must have noticed the suddenly tense atmosphere, because she felt the need to say, "Don't worry about it, Percy."

* * *

 _Hour 10_

* * *

Percy jumped when his phone started to ring. He reached for it and was about to answer, but Annabeth didn't allow it.

"Not while driving," she chided, grabbing the phone from his hand. She tapped the answer icon and held the phone to her ear. "Hello, Percy Jackson's phone… He isn't available right now, he's driving… We should be in New York in around three hours… Uh, yes. How do you know?... Wait, no way... Grover!"

"GROVER!" Percy yelled. "Put it on speaker!"

"Shut up," Annabeth said, holding up a hand. "I can't believe this! How are you?... I met him at the airport, we both missed our flight."

"IT WAS HER FAULT!"

"Yeah, no, I have job interviews scheduled… I didn't even know you were in New York! And your contact info changed. Keeping up with you is impossible… Wait but how do you know Percy?"

"WE'RE BEST FRIENDS!" Percy answered.

"Wow, small world." Annabeth said.

"YO GROVER HOW DO YOU KNOW ANNABETH?"

"I met him a long time ago in California," Annabeth supplied.

"Dude put it on speaker!" Percy whined. She rolled her eyes but tapped the speaker icon. "GROVER CAN YOU HEAR ME?"

"Yeah man stop yelling!" The sound of his best friend's voice somehow made Percy feel 100% better.

"What were you doing in Cali?"

"I lived there for a while."

"No way. What else haven't you told me?" Percy asked suspiciously.

"A lot, actually. But how did you meet Annabeth?"

"She cut me in line and made me miss my flight to New York!"

"You would have missed it anyway!" Annabeth protested.

"Noooo."

Grover laughed. "Listen, guys I gotta go," he said, "But we have to meet in New York, Annabeth! This is my current number, so use it."

"Wait but won't you meet me?" Percy asked.

"Bro I'm literally coming over today! Be here on time and drive safe and stuff. Bye!" The call ended.

Annabeth exhaled. "Seriously, what are the odds?"

Percy grinned.

They spent the next hour sharing stories about Grover and laughing until they ached.

* * *

 _Hour 11_

* * *

They had been quiet for what Percy judged to be too long, so he took it upon himself to start a conversation.

"So," he began slowly, trying to be careful with his wording. "Why architecture? I don't mean that in, like, a negative way or anything, but just, of all the jobs, why that one?"

"There doesn't have to be a reason," Annabeth answered.

"Yeah there does, there's always a reason," he argued.

"Then what was your reason, for trying marine biology?"

"I love the ocean. I love the water and I love everything that lives in it," Percy replied with a smirk. "See, there's always a reason. So what's yours?"

"It's not as simple as yours."

"I'm not that stupid, I'm sure I can still understand."

"Fine." She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "There was a brief period in my life when I didn't live with my dad. I ran away when I was seven, and met some other kids who ran away from home. It was like I finally had a family. But then, that didn't work out. It was temporary, and I hate temporary. Architecture, if you do it right, means creating something permanent, something that will outlive you. Which, I guess is why I was drawn to it."

Percy wasn't sure how to respond. He wasn't expecting something that deep.

"I told you it's not that simple," Annabeth said, when he still hadn't responded.

"That's good, though, isn't it?" he said thoughtfully. "I mean you have a really good reason, that's why you're passionate enough to move to the other side of the country. My reason was kinda weak, and maybe that's why I couldn't stick with it."

"Your reason for working in the bakery is strong though. Maybe that's what's best for you."

"But I feel like I'm not _that_ passionate about it. I want to love something as much as you love architecture."

"You'll find something," she said deliberately. "Someday."

* * *

 _Hour 12_

* * *

The journey was coming to an end and the idea of never seeing Annabeth again was too painful for Percy. Somewhere along the road he had developed a serious crush on her, and saying a permanent goodbye was not an option.

"You should come over for Christmas," he blurted before he could stop himself.

"Yeah," Annabeth said offhandedly, clearly dismissing it as an empty invitation.

"No, seriously," Percy continued. "You shouldn't be alone for the holidays. And we take Christmas very seriously in our house. It's all out."

Annabeth looked at him carefully, judging how authentic he was being. "I couldn't impose," she said finally. "Anyway, you should spend the time with your family, not some random stranger you found at the airport."

"Okay, fair point, but you're not some random stranger anymore. I think a twelve hour drive is enough to make us friends?"

"Maybe," she agreed, "but not the type of friend you invite into your home on a special occasion."

"Why is that?

"Because…" she faltered, apparently unable to come up with a valid reason.

"Because that's what's socially acceptable," Percy supplied. "But screw that. You're spending Christmas in New York, and you don't have any friends or family here other than me, and I guess Grover, but he's already with me. Anyway, you won't be spending Christmas in some dingy hotel room as long as I'm around."

"I really don't want to intrude-"

"The more the merrier! And you could be very useful to us. I can guarantee that we have way more freshly baked cookies sitting at home than we know what to do with." He paused before adding, "Actually, we do know what to do with them. We feed them to me. But that's probably not good for my health, so you can save me from a serious food coma. See, you're a hero."

Annabeth laughed. It was a glorious sound that made Percy feel the same warmth he felt after eating one of his mom's cookies.

"Fine, I'll come," she said, though she sounded reluctant.

And Percy felt wonderful, because he had a beautiful girl who he really, really liked coming over for Christmas, and he would be there on time to do all of his favorite things with his favorite people, and it basically was turning out to be a pretty great holiday.


End file.
